A Tale of Three Trees

Japanese Persimmon (Kaki)

By Emmy Ulmschneider and Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners

West Texas is my second home.  Growing up in the Midwest.  I spent a great deal of time exploring the woods around our home.  Recently I had a chance to revisit these forests during a family reunion.  Just seeing these familiar trees from my youth brought back so many memories.  And there before me on our picnic stop was of the largest specimens of the American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana that I have ever seen. This tree was old, over fifty feet tall with the gray, blocky bark characteristic of older trees. And the ripe fruit was all over the ground.  My infatuation with persimmons began with a wild food dinner with Euell Gibbons, feasting on his persimmon hickory nut bread.  So, with that memory, many years later, here in West Texas one of the first native trees I planted was Diospyros texana, Texas Persimmon or Chapote.  And one of the first fruit trees I planted was Diospyros kaki, the Japanese persimmon. 

Their genus name, Diospyros, means fruit of the god Zeus and that pretty much characterizes them as a special taste treat.  But in addition to bearing edible fruit for humans, both native trees and their oriental cousin add wildlife value to our yards.  But first some background.

Oriental persimmons have been grown in Japan for over 1000 years and by the 16th century oriental persimmons were being spread around the world by explorers who relished their taste.  There are two readily available Japanese persimmon types: Fuyu and Hachiya.  I grow Fuya which is sweeter than its cousin.  When ripe, the orange fruit is soft, sugar sweet, and custardy but it can be eaten more like an apple before that. 

Although in the same genus, Diospyros, our native trees are very different in size, habit, and range.  American Persimmon favors moist, rich soils and ranges across the eastern United States into east Texas. Texas Persimmon, ranges from central Texas to the Big Bend and south into northern Mexico.  Heat and drought tolerant, Texas Persimmon is perfect for our West Texas conditions.  And its small size, attractive shape, and striking light gray bark which peels in contrasting hues, make it a standout in our home landscapes.  If you pick out a female specimen, you get white flowers in the spring and fruit in the fall.  It is a perfect replacement for non-native crape myrtles or for the native but over used Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria. 

And in a native yard, Chapote or Texas Persimmon blends well with Granjero, Spiny Hackberry, Celtis ehrenbergiana, which we have written about previously.  All three persimmon trees attract a range of insects, birds and mammals and I see this in my own yard with the two species I grow.  I know when my Texas persimmons are at optimum ripeness as the birds gorging on them leave dark fruit stains on the sidewalk!  And I must cover my Japanese persimmon to discourage birds and squirrels if I want a share of their sweet, custardy orange fruit.  There are a variety of ways to enjoy our native Texas persimmon.  It can be eaten raw when ripe but until then it is astringent producing a puckery taste in your mouth.   You can also enjoy them in jams or as dried fruit.  And maybe this year is the year I get organized to try it as a natural dye.

So, if you are looking for a small tree that is suited to our area, has food potential, wildlife value, and great beauty, look no further!

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.   Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on “Resources”.

Texas Persimmon